Pages tagged Countdown

We told you last week to expect some big news from Glenn Greenwald, who broke many of the Edward Snowden stories. Here we are, just after celebrating the 4th of July, with some new revelations from Greenwald that show major infringements of our civil liberties and basic rights.

Throughout the past few weeks, Israel has accused Hamas of the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers and has retaliated by conducting the largest military operation in the West Bank since the second intifada. On Monday, the bodies of the three abducted Israeli teenagers were found in a field in Hebron. “Off the deep end” and “unprecedented,” Israel’s retaliation, which includes over 34 airstrikes in Gaza, has left 13 Palestinians dead and counting, more than 400 Palestinians imprisoned, and numerous buildings and homes destroyed.

In light of his recent passing, AAI would like to pay tribute and recognize just how unsurpassed and dear Casey Kasem was in the hearts of the Arab American community. Featured in our Together We Came series, Kasem’s nationwide contributions are unparalleled; he truly exemplifies what it means to be an exceptional American.

Excuse us if we seem all over the place, but we can’t help but be in shock today after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s stunning loss in the VA-07 primary yesterday. Cantor was dealt a sharp blow by a relatively unknown candidate, Dr. Dave Brat, who boasted a campaign war-chest of $200,000. No, we didn’t forget a zero.

Let the pontificating begin. Some say that Arab countries have "warmed to President Obama." Others are saying Arabs have given the President a "negative 2014 report card." This can only mean one thing – a new Zogby Research Services poll is out. This week, ZRS released a comprehensive poll conducted in 7 Arab countries that looks at how Arabs view President Obama and U.S. policy in the region.

Arab American House Representative Justin Amash is making a big move to try to squash funding for the NSA’s intrusive intelligence programs. In a preemptive measure to ensure the government surveillance reform bill, the USA Freedom Act, gets its due consideration, Amash filed two amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) yesterday which include critical sections of the USA Freedom Act.

We’ve long covered Arab-baiting in U.S. politics and campaigns and we will continue to do so as long as members of Congress keep finding ways to inject racism against Arab Americans into political discourse. This time, we bring you an attack from Rep. Devin Nunes (CA 22), who called Arab American Congressman and fellow Republican Justin Amash (MI 3) “Al Qaeda’s best friend in Congress” this week after an intra-party disagreement over U.S. surveillance programs and other legislation backed by Nunes.

On April 25th we hosted our annual Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards Gala here in Washington and social media was a buzz throughout the event. This year, we honored Senator George J. Mitchell for his extraordinary career in public service, Participant Media for their vision and leadership in social justice, and Martin Luther King III for the legacy of his family and the work he does to keep their vision alive. Gibran was an evening for our community to reconnect, celebrate our achievements, and reflect on the path that lies ahead.

Countdown is not exactly known for its coverage of uplifting and inspiring stories. Politics, especially in our line of work, is rather messy. This edition contains some uplifting information and, sorry to say, some frustrating news.